Similar in thematic content to Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four is both an indictment of political oppression and a vigorous attack on the corruption of language. Throughout the novel, Orwell is relentless in his disparaging analysis of totalitarian society. More impressive, however, is his ability to demonstrate the use of language as a tool of government to exercise and ensure control over its people. Deprived of access to their historical and cultural traditions, the inhabitants of Orwell’s world become enslaved to the immediacy of existence.
Animal Farm was made into an animated cartoon in 1954, directed and produced by John Halas and Joy Batchelor and released by Louis de Rochemont Associates. Presented as a full-length adult satire, the film was considered an artistically successful rendering of Orwell’s book made into vivid and realistic animation. A superb creative achievement, the film is executed with technical precision and visual brilliance, distinctly reminiscent of the “Disney” style. The thematic elements of Orwell’s novel remain consistent in the film and quite possibly are enhanced by the striking contrast of presenting political satire in the medium of cartoon.
Leave a Reply